Seth didn't get much sleep that night, all he could think about was the letter and how this Glen character managed to track down Seth.
Seth also recalled Ellen and how much fun they had together that first year in college. Seth had moved to Portland after learning his brother Richard and Molly, the girl he loved, had gone off an eloped. Those days were all but forgotten and now this letter dredged it all back up.
Seth did the best he could to forget about the letter. He was so happy Jessica was home from New York and was going to spend extra time this summer in Cabot Cove.
The next few days were spent fishing with Jessica, going hiking and then enjoying a nice, intimate dinner at her home.
By the end of the week, Seth was back to his old self. He just got the office open when Jessica stopped by. She was wearing sunglasses, but the sun was not that bright. "What in Heaven's name are you wearing? You look like a member of the mafia!"
"Oh Seth, I don't know what's wrong with my eye, but I woke up with such pain." Jessica took off the glasses and walked into the treatment room.
"Let's have a look here." Seth examined Jessica's right eye which was slightly puffy on the outside and red on the inside. "I don't see any discharge or crust. You may have a blocked tear duct." Seth went to the cabinet and reached for a new bottle of eye drops. He added one to Jessica's eye and then went to his desk. "I'm going to call down to the pharmacy for a prescription. Use the drops twice a day and it should clear up in no time."
Seth was just finishing up the call when he heard a knock at the door. "Not expecting anyone for another hour. Why don't you go into the kitchen Jess, I just made a fresh pot of coffee."
Seth answered the door, standing before him was a man with dark brown hair and gray at the temples. He had hazel eyes and warm smile. "Seth Hazlitt?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Glen Monroe…I wrote you a letter, about my mother Ellen." Seth looked like he'd just seen a ghost and stood awkwardly for a few seconds. "Uh, please come in, won't you?"
"Thank you very much." Glen proceeded to put his suitcase down and have a seat on the couch. "I'm sure you were surprised to hear from me?"
"I certainly was. How did you know where to find me? I haven't seen your mother since…"
"Just before you left for the Army Special Training Program." Seth shook his head in agreement.
"Mom talked about you quite a bit while I was growing up. She even showed me some photos of the two of you back in your college days in Portland."
"I see," Seth said looking down at his feet. "How is Ellen these days?"
"She passed away about two years ago after a long health battle."
"I'm sorry to hear that, she was a strong woman. Never one to complain about anything."
"You're right about that Dr. Hazlitt. I've never met anyone stronger than my mother." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Anyway, you wanted to know how I found you. Well, I looked up some of mom's old college friends. I wanted to know about what she was like before she became my mother. For some reason she never talked about her past much. It was Tim that told me you were alive and well and living in Cabot Cove, Maine. I found your address on the phone book and thought I'd contact you."
Seth was still uncomfortable about this entire conversation. "Well, you've found me. Is there any reason why you wanted to meet me?"
Glen looked down at his feet and began to pout, something Seth often did when he felt troubled. "After I lost my mom, life has not been easy for me. My wife divorced me, and I found myself all alone…like I was all alone in the whole world."
"I'm sorry to hear about your mother, and the problems you've had since, but I certainly don't know what I can do to help you?"
"I didn't finish Dr. Hazlitt. There's more. Before my mother died, she sat me down and told me my father, who I loved more than anyone else in the world, wasn't my real father. He passed away when I was 20, he didn't even get to see me get married."
Seth was getting exasperated, "What does this have to do with me!"
"Dr. Hazlitt, my mother told me…you're my father."